Summary: Microsoft's newest smartphone operating system, Windows Phone 7, is rolling out around the world and will be kicking off in the US through AT&T. The AT&T HTC Surround and Samsung Focus are two of three devices we will see on AT&T with the LG Quantum being the third.

Microsoft's newest smartphone operating system, Windows Phone 7, is rolling out around the world and will be kicking off in the US through AT&T. The AT&T HTC Surround and Samsung Focus are two of three devices we will see on AT&T with the LG Quantum being the third.

The back shows the device, specifications, and features of the HTC Surround.

Upon opening the retail package you will find some pamphlets and the HTC Surround nestled in its compartment.

AT&T and HTC include a cable, battery, A/C charger, and wired stereo headset.

The back of these two devices shows the required 5 megapixel camera and flash.

The back of the HTC Surround slides up about 1/2 inch to reveal Dolby SRS stereo speakers. The sound out is actually quite good.

The kickstand is revealed when you slide up the speakers and lets you prop up the device.

The kickstand is thin, solid metal and provides a nice base to rest the Surround on.

Here is another view showing the kickstand is fairly well centered on the device.

Make sure you close the kickstand before sliding down the speakers. The kickstand will not close by itself in this situation and there is a risk that people will try to force the back closed on the kickstand. The design is pretty slick as the kickstand integrates well into the back.

A 3.5mm headset jack and power button are found on the top of the HTC Surround.

The required camera capture button is on the right side of the HTC Surround.

A microphone opening and the microUSB port are found on the bottom of the HTC Surround.

The camera and flash are centered near the top of the back.

You can see the size of the HTC Surround in my hand through this back view.

The speakers really do sound good and while I thought it was just a gimmick at first I have come to like the added feature.

The camera and flash are quite small on the Samsung Focus and the word Focus is related more to the brilliant display rather than the camera.

The 3.5mm headset jack and microUSB port are on the top of the Samsung Focus. Like the Samsung Galaxy S devices there is a slider door on the microUSB port.

The volume rocker button is on the upper left side.

A power button and obligatory camera capture button are found on the right side.

The required back, Start, and Bing search buttons are all capacitive touch sensitive buttons on the Samsung Focus.

The three required front buttons are also touch sensitive capacitive buttons on the HTC Surround.

Yeah, that's right, the Start screen does NOT rotate into landscape orientation even if the device is optimized and setup to sit in this position. It makes it a bit awkward to control when it is like this.

The HTC Surround has a 3.8 inch display while the Samsung Focus has a 4 inch display.

The Samsung Focus is a big device, but the thinness helps make it feel comfortable in your hand and that Super AMOLED display looks fantastic.

This photo shows how well the Samsung Focus fits in my hand.

The HTC Surround is quite a bit heavier, but a bit smaller in outer dimensions than the Samsung Focus.

The HTC Surround has a very nice display, even if it is not OLED and I have no complaints with it.

The HTC Surround does have a smaller display than the Samsung Focus.

There are some beautiful images that appear on Bing and I go check it out daily just to see those pictures and learn a few things.

The Voice Command software works very well and is activated by pressing and holding the Start button.

You can move the Start screen tiles around all you like to meet your needs.

Matthew Miller started using a mobile devices in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since. He is a co-host with GigaOM's Kevin Tofel on the MobileTechRoundup podcast and an author of three Wiley Companion series books. Matthew started using mobile devices with a US Robotics Pilot 1000 and has owned over 200 d...
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Disclosure

Matthew is a professional naval architect by day and a mobile gadgeteer at all other times. He purchases his own devices and then sells them on eBay or Swappa to buy more. Many other devices are sent for review on a 30-day loaner basis and then returned to the carrier or manufacturer. If any are provided as &#8220;long term loaner units&#8221 this will be clearly disclosed in his reviews.